A True Guardian
by meg596
Summary: When Carly starts digging she finds a past she didn't expect.


Spencer had always been a constant in her life, the person who, no matter how badly she screwed up had always been there for her. Yet she didn't realise just how much her brother had given up keeping her safe, just how badly the world had treated him. It had all started with a question posed by the one and only Sam Puckett.  
"Just how exactly did Spencer get custody of you anyway?" Carly had been confused by the question until Sam had explained. She had stated that Carly had, had many relatives that could take her in. That were much more equipped to look after her than Spencer was, especially considering he was only eighteen years old when he became Carly's legal guardian. Carly had said that Spencer was named her legal guardian once he turned eighteen anyway and as such was by law her caretaker. Sam had seemed sceptical which had led to Carly doing some digging. Whilst doing said digging she had found out some pretty vital information, Spencer wasn't her legal guardian. On the documents that she had found it had said that Mary Fawkes was her legal guardian. Her initial reaction was anger which was slowly followed by confusion and then paranoia. Who exactly was Mary Fawkes and if she was her legal guardian then why wasn't she with her?.

It took a couple of days for Carly to confront her older brother, they were watching TV when Carly turned to him and asked  
"Whose Mary Fawkes?". At the name Spencer froze.  
"How do you know that name?" he asked, fear evident on his face  
"I just do, who is she?"  
"She's someone who I never want to hear about again" he demanded. Carly froze, her brother looked terrified. She gulped  
"Why?" she asked. Spencer shook his head  
"Carly we can't speak about her, understood?" he asked, she was about to retort when he scowled  
"Carly, we do not speak about her" he thundered and for once Carly remembered that Spencer was her authorative figure and she nodded numbly.

The next day Carly, Freddie and Sam were discussing what had happened.  
"I just don't get it, why would he react that way?" she asked.  
"He's hiding something" Sam said, Carly hit her with a 'well duh' look. Freddie said nothing, choosing to search something on his laptop.  
"Freddie what are you doing?" Carly asked when she noticed he wasn't paying attention. He turned the computer to her  
"Finding the answers" he replied, on the screen was an article written ten years previous when Carly was just five years old.

 _Hero Brother saves tiny tot_

 _Siblings are a weird breed, they go from wanting to kill each other to being each others best friends. No matter what happens one thing remains true, sibling love is unconditional. One brother however took his love for his younger sibling above and beyond. The brother wasted no time saving his younger sister from a house fire, risking life and limb as just seconds after saving the infant, the building collapsed. Mary Fawkes, who was the infant's carer seemed to have been the perpetrator of the fire, it is unknown whether her intentions were to kill the child or not, but Miss Fawkes is now in custody and thanks to the tot's heroic brother, both siblings are safe._

Carly stared at the article  
"You… you don't think.." she started. Freddie watched his friend in concern  
"It fits" he admitted.  
"Print me that article" Carly demanded, Freddie did as she asked, and Carly turned and left her friends behind.

When Carly got home she handed Spencer the article, as he read it his face paled and he began to shake. He collapsed onto the couch and placed his head in his hands.  
"Please Carly… don't pursue this" he begged. Carly felt her heart hurt but she needed to know who Mary Fawkes was  
"Are we the siblings in the article?" she asked. Spencer nodded numbly. When she asked for more information Spencer shook his head vigorously. Carly sighed and sat next to him  
"Spencer… I need to know the truth… you are the best guardian I can have but I need to know why I am with you and not her." Spencer gulped, he didn't want to relive that night, it was one of the worst nights of his life.  
"She was mums' best friend, she was your godmother. When Mum left I… I couldn't look after you properly, I was only seventeen, so dad sent us both there. It was okay at first, she was nice, I had just lost mum and was trying to be strong for you. Yet she seemed to look after me until she started getting angry… she was okay unless she had a drink and then she would… she would get violent." He shuddered, trying to repress the memories.  
"She loved dad… like she was totally obsessed with him and when I told her that it would never work she would hit me. The night of the fire I had gone out, you were the one thing she would never hurt so I knew you'd be okay. That was until dad rang me saying that you were in trouble, so I ran home to find it in flames, I ran in and got you… my god you weren't breathing Carly. I thought I lost you." Tears streamed down his face and Carly pulled him into a hug. She felt horrible for making him relive it but at least she knew why Spencer was her guardian.  
"I still don't understand why I ended up with you though, wouldn't granddad have been a better option." Spencer shook his head.

"You're my sister Carly and after Fawkes, I knew that I was the only one that could look after you, so I threatened dad. I told him that I would take you and run, I had the recourse's and mum had a savings account, so I had the money. I also said that I'd tell the police that he had been neglectful, it would have damaged his career. So, he told me that I could look after you on the condition that I finished law school." Carly listened sadly, she had no idea just what her brother had gone through. So, she pulled him into a tight hug before pulling away and ripping the article up  
"I don't care what anybody says, you are my best and only guardian." She promised, Spencer smiled, he had done a lot of things in life, but he knew that without a doubt the one thing he had gotten right was Carly.


End file.
